Clifton stories wanted

CLIFTON — The Clifton High School Home and School Association is convinced everyone has a story to tell, and they're looking to hear and read some.

The HSA Book Project, a subcommittee of the CHS HSA, is currently collecting story pitches for two types of compilation books which will be penned by Cliftonites of all ages.

The first book is a collection of personal experience stories. Stories can be about settling in a new place, friendships, odd jobs family members have held, or how your parents met for the first time. These are only a few ideas.

The second is a superhero comic book which will contain multiple stories, based in Clifton. It is expected to become a team effort to write and draw in order to bring the stories to life.

The drafts will be professionally edited by volunteers who will work alongside the authors. The finished books are planned to hit shelves in paperback and ebook by summer 2015.

The CHS HSA is responsible for fund-raising for various school activities in association with CHS, usually through tricky trays, carnivals, and sales. This fall the CHS HSA has decided to think "outside the box" with the sale of these community books. The purchase of either of these books, the committee feels, will help both support creative minds in Clifton and CHS programs, as well as give residents and readers a lasting and meaningful piece of Clifton history. The committee members hope these books will be the start of a series of local tales and memories.

The books will be made available for order on Amazon through CreateSpace self-publishing as a paperback and a Kindle ebook, with all sale royalties going toward funding activities such as Project Graduation, supplementary tutoring, and SAT courses for Clifton High School students. Leading up to the release of the books, the committee plans to host readings at local restaurants to give readers a preview.

Submissions are open to all ages. To submit a pitch, authors are asked to include their name, email, story title, and the following in their email:

For stories about an experience, the beginning of the story (not a summary), why it is an important story, and if you would be willing to read your story publicly. All stories "must be your story and it must be true." The story may not contain offensive language.

For the comic book: a simple summary of the story, a picture of the main character, and a short biography for him/her.

Pitches are to be submitted to cliftonhsa@gmail.com and all pitches are due by Oct. 15.

Finally, the CHS HSA offers some tips for writers, including "have a first great line," "have a stake in telling the story," and "the last line of the story should be clear in your mind."